Troubled mobile-based streaming service Quibi is coming to televisions. The company has quietly launched native apps for Android TV, Apple TV, and Fire TV.
However, this mobile-first service still requires you to sign up through a smartphone before you can watch Quibi episodes on your TV. Once you’ve set up a Quibi account, you can download the app for your TV and sign in with the same account. The platform still lacks support for Roku TV.
Quibi launches native apps for TV platforms in a bid to attract more viewers
Quibi has had a difficult entry into the streaming market. The platform, which derives its name from the term “quick bites,” focuses on short-form, mobile-first content. Naturally, it initially arrived as a mobile-only app. However, the timing of its arrival, or perhaps poor content and lack of large-screen support too, didn’t help its cause.
Quibi launched on April 6, during the peak of the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Of course, streaming services blossomed during these unprecedented times. Lockdown measures against the pandemic forced people to stay home and start streaming. No wonder Netflix added 25.9 million net new subscribers during the first six months of the year.
However, for Quibi, its short-form contents that are designed to be consumed on mobile devices on the go didn’t garner much interest. The first collection of its content didn’t amuse the viewers and the service saw a huge drop in subscribers after the end of the 90-day trial offer. Only about 8 percent of the people who signed up initially stuck around after the free trial period.
Quibi did try to make its content more discoverable outside of the platform by allowing viewers to share clips on social media. It also added AirPlay and Chromecast support, letting you watch those mobile-focused content on the big screen.
However, all this might have come too late for Quibi as it never recovered from that early setback. A report earlier this week claimed that founder Jeffrey Katzenberg is now looking to sell the app’s programming. Jeffrey reportedly approached Facebook and NBCUniversal with the offer but neither show any interest.
Apparently, he has called off many important strategy meetings and may be planning to shut down the company entirely. In the meantime, Quibi has just rolled out apps for several TV systems which suggest the fight for survival is still on.
It now remains to be seen if these efforts can increase the viewership and appeal of the platform. If you’re new to Quibi, remember the platform still offers a 14-day free trial for first-time subscribers, something Netflix doesn’t.